Need to report a crime? There’s an app for that

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is touting a first-of-its-kind mobile app to help people report crime.

Sheriff Leon Lott unveiled Thursday the Guardian Watch app, which lets people report emergencies using the camera on their cell phones.

The app, developed by an Augusta company of the same name, is available for iPhone and Android-based smartphones. The app is the first of its kind being used by law enforcement in the state, Lott said.

To report an incident, users open the app, click a report button and choose a category that best describes what they are witnessing. The phone then begins recording video, which is instantaneously sent to the department’s Community Action Team. The app also sends GPS data to the sheriff’s department, so officers know exactly where the incident occurred. Lott said it doesn’t replace 911, but it can help deputies get a better narrative of what happened.